Not Even Darth Vader Can Escape the Ongoing Pepper Spray Scourge

Orlando, Florida is a magical place. And strange, fantastical things are not limited to the theme parks, I can tell you that! And so can Darth Vader. At least once he sobers up. Because the Dark Lord himself — or at least someone dressed exactly like him, and by “exactly,” I mean “he was wearing a Darth Vader helmet” — has found himself in the vicinity of the happiest place on earth, fending off a shower of pepper spray. By noble Jedi warriors? No. By Florida highway troopers from Earth. Occupy Tattooine!

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was attacked in Orlando early Thursday by a man wearing a Darth Vader mask, authorities said.

A 28-year-old Orlando resident named Michael Cole was apparently drunk off his lightsaber and wandering the streets at around 3:00 in the morning in a Darth Vader mask when a construction worker alerted law enforcement to the disturbance. The trooper who arrived repeatedly asked Cole to get out of the street, but instead, Cole laid down in the middle of it. When the trooper tried to approach the intoxicated Sith Lord, the Force was employed punches were thrown, and the trooper’s taser was no match for Fake Vader’s thick coat. So the trooper used pepper spray to subdue Vader/Cole.

Cole later complained of shortness of breath and was taken to the hospital before being taken to jail. The trooper was unharmed.

A tip of the hat to io9′s Cyriaque Lamar for posting this video from 30 Rock, because it’s incredibly appropos: